About this Research Topic
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers refer to all cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive organs, including the esophagus, stomach, biliary system, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus. Despite advances in treatment, the mortality rate of gastrointestinal cancer remains high, partly because of its tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME is a dynamic cellular environment that interacts with cancer cells, thereby promoting tumor growth, proliferation, angiogenesis, invasiveness and metastasis. Compared with tumor cells that have surrounding cells (such as stromal cells, mesenchymal cells, and immune cells) and cause a malignant state, tumor cells themselves behave completely differently. A better understanding of the molecular network in TME and the communication between tumor cells and non-tumor cells through cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and metabolites is essential for the development of new models, which will allow validation of new treatments for GI cancer.
In light of that, this Research Topic aims to answer the following questions:
1. What are the composition and characteristics of the TME in GI cancers？
2. How the TME affects the occurrence and development of GI cancers?
3. What is the impact of TME on GI cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy?
4. What are the potential uses of targeting TME as therapeutic approaches toward GI cancers?
In particular, these topics are welcome:
• Cell types and functions in the TME of GI cancers
• Signaling pathways activated by infiltrating cells
• TME and therapeutic resistance in GI cancers
• TME in immune escape in GI cancers
• Intestinal microbes in GI cancers
• Inflammation, hypoxia, and pH in GI cancers
• Immune cells metabolism in GI cancers
• The single-cell analysis of GI cancers
• Regulated cell death in GI cancers
• Treatment options for GI cancers
In light of that, this Research Topic aims to answer the following questions:
1. What are the composition and characteristics of the TME in GI cancers？
2. How the TME affects the occurrence and development of GI cancers?
3. What is the impact of TME on GI cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy?
4. What are the potential uses of targeting TME as therapeutic approaches toward GI cancers?
In particular, these topics are welcome:
• Cell types and functions in the TME of GI cancers
• Signaling pathways activated by infiltrating cells
• TME and therapeutic resistance in GI cancers
• TME in immune escape in GI cancers
• Intestinal microbes in GI cancers
• Inflammation, hypoxia, and pH in GI cancers
• Immune cells metabolism in GI cancers
• The single-cell analysis of GI cancers
• Regulated cell death in GI cancers
• Treatment options for GI cancers
Keywords: Gastrointestinal, cancer, cell type, signaling pathway, microenvironment
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
